Why Swiss farmers are rising in protest

Farmers are revolting across Europe. Swiss farmers have joined the mix with dozens of protestors driving their tractors into Geneva and Basel over the weekend. But just how important is agriculture to the Swiss economy and how much political clout to do Swiss farmers have relative to their European counterparts? SWI swissinfo.ch explains. Agriculture plays a multifaceted role in the Swiss economy and politics. The country is renowned for its dairy, cheese, and chocolate industries, which heavily rely on locally sourced ingredients. While farmers boast political clout, agriculture is not exactly the engine of the Swiss economy. The Swiss government estimates that agriculture contributes less than 1% to GDP, totalling CHF12 billion ($13.7 billion) in revenue in 2022. That’s low relative to other European nations. In Italy, France, Poland and Spain agriculture accounts for more than 2% of GDP. In Germany, which like France faces major farmer unrest, it’s under 1%. Germany, like...